Just a bit from the GA DOE:
Course Description:
Precalculus is a fourth-year math option for students who have completed Advanced Algebra (or the equivalent). The course provides students with the opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of concepts in Algebra that are critical to the study of Calculus as well as an understanding of trigonometry and its applications. Throughout the course there should be a focus on notational fluency and the use of multiple representations. The course includes the study and analysis of piecewise and rational functions; limits and continuity as related to piecewise and rational functions; sequences and series with the incorporation of convergence and divergence; conic sections as implicitly defined curves; the six trigonometric functions and their inverses; applications of trigonometry such as modeling periodic phenomena, modeling with vectors and parametric equations, solving oblique triangles in contextual situations, graphing in the Polar Plane; solutions of trigonometric equations in a variety of contexts; and the manipulation and application of trigonometric identities. Topics should be analyzed in multiple ways, to include verbal and written, numerical, algebraic, and graphical presentations. Instruction and assessment should include the appropriate use of technology. Concepts should be introduced and investigated, where appropriate, in the context of realistic phenomena.
Prerequisite:
This course is designed for students who have successfully completed Advanced Algebra / Algebra II.
Precalculus is a fourth-year math option for students who have completed Advanced Algebra (or the equivalent). The course provides students with the opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of concepts in Algebra that are critical to the study of Calculus as well as an understanding of trigonometry and its applications. Throughout the course there should be a focus on notational fluency and the use of multiple representations. The course includes the study and analysis of piecewise and rational functions; limits and continuity as related to piecewise and rational functions; sequences and series with the incorporation of convergence and divergence; conic sections as implicitly defined curves; the six trigonometric functions and their inverses; applications of trigonometry such as modeling periodic phenomena, modeling with vectors and parametric equations, solving oblique triangles in contextual situations, graphing in the Polar Plane; solutions of trigonometric equations in a variety of contexts; and the manipulation and application of trigonometric identities. Topics should be analyzed in multiple ways, to include verbal and written, numerical, algebraic, and graphical presentations. Instruction and assessment should include the appropriate use of technology. Concepts should be introduced and investigated, where appropriate, in the context of realistic phenomena.
Prerequisite:
This course is designed for students who have successfully completed Advanced Algebra / Algebra II.